Of Boy and Man
by Leslie Emm
Summary: Summary inside but it's how I see what may have happened after 'Unusual suspects' in season ?6 Flack. One shots, all with the same theme.
1. Chapter 1

**Of Boy and Man**

These are a series of linked one shots about the relationship Flack created with a kid, Sam Harris, from the episode 'Unusual Suspects'. Sam, Flack and the rest of the team and the original storyline of that episode do not belong to me, they are credited to CBS. Established OC's may make an appearance too.

…...

Status 

"Detective?" Sam Harris looked up at his idol, the guy he thought could save the world.

"What's up Sam?" Don grinned, handing him a can of soda "You wanna go another round?"

"No" Sam grinned cheekily "I think I beat you enough for one day"

"You shoot a mean hoop kid" Don ruffled Sam's hair fondly, taking a long drink from his own can as they sat on the bench.

"Could I still be a cop?" the child asked, well he wasn't a child really now, Don thought, but not a man either. The awkward gawky phase in between that Don remembered well enough. "I mean, after what happened?"

"You wanna be a cop?" Don asked, surprised.

"They asked us at school" Sam replied "And when I said I wanted to be a cop, the teacher said that I'd robbed a bank, so I wouldn't be allowed to"

Don scratched his head, buying himself a little time.

"I don't really know Sam" he said finally "The DA didn't press charges, so you don't have a criminal record"

"Can you find out?" Sam's face was eager "Please Detective?"

"Sure" Don nodded "I'll look into it, and Sam, I think we known each other long enough for you to call me Don huh?"

"I like Detective" Sam replied.

Don smiled, for a while at Sam's age he'd always referred to his father as 'Officer', dropping in the fact his father was a police officer at every opportunity "I know you do" he agreed "But how about you call me Don, but to everyone else, call me Detective Flack?"

"Huh?"

"Well, like now, when we're shootin' hoops, or gettin' a burger, or at the game, you call me Don. But when we see say, a girl you like, or to your friends you call me Detective?"

Sam grinned, but didn't say anything.

"So there is a _girl_ then?" he raised his eyebrows over his can.

"Maybe" Sam looked at his threadbare shoes, Don's gaze followed and he made a mental note to find out the kids size, and when his birthday was. He decided to leave the girls conversation for another day.

"So, what would you like to do in the police?" he asked.

"I dunno" Sam shrugged "Maybe be a Detective, like a homicide detective?"

"I won't lie to you buddy" Don said "It's tough, and you see a lot a stuff that's hard to stomach"

"I guess you do" Sam replied "Do you think I could do it?"

"If you want to do something Sam, you should try" Don mused "If it doesn't work then you have at least tried, you don't try, you don't know"

"So you think I should try and be a cop?" Sam asked him.

"Yeah" Don smiled "I do, but there's other things you can do, apart from being a detective. There's CSI, like the guys I work with, you gotta be pretty smart to do that job"

"Like Detective Taylor?" Sam asked, Don mused that the kid had met most of the team during the investigation, but he always revolved back to himself and Mac.

"Yeah, like Detective Taylor" Don nodded "He collects evidence and helps solves the crime that way, it's very important, but you gotta be all sciency" Don pulled a face "I'm not very sciency"

"I kinda like science" Sam said in a small voice.

"I admire people who do it" Don sensed that the kid wanted his approval, and maybe felt that Don wouldn't approve of his liking of science "I'm not clever enough, and I don't have the patience"

"What else can you do?" Sam asked him "Like in the police?"

"Loads of things" Don said "I used to work on a team that investigated bank robberies, before I moved to homicide. And there's aviation, flying the helicopters, mounted, K9, foot patrol, traffic patrol. And all sorts of different types of detective work"

"I like the idea of helping people" Sam said "Like you do"

Don looked around in surprise as the street lights started to flick on one by one.

"Come on" he said, standing and grabbing the ball "We better get you back to your Mom"

"Really?" Sam looked disappointed, like he always did.

"Yeah" Don felt slightly disappointed too "She'll get worried"

…...


	2. Chapter 2

**Of Boy and Man**

Guy talk 

"So" Don put the tray down in front of Sam, sorting the food into piles "Who is she?"

"Who?" Sam said, one thing Don liked about this kid he thought, as he watched him eat, Sam loved his food.

"The girl, the one you keep thinkin' 'bout?" Don regarded him with a smile.

"How d'ya know that?!" Sam asked through a mouthful of fries, Don handed him a napkin before answering.

"Because I'm a guy, and guys know these things about other guys" he said wisely.

"So _you_ thinkin' about a girl then?" Sam countered.

"Maybe" Don shrugged "But we ain't talkin' about me"

"She's called Hannah" Sam said "And she's really pretty, like not average pretty, but _real_ pretty"

"And does she know you like her?" Don asked.

Sam shrugged non committally.

"Aw c'mon Sam!" Don said with a laugh "If you don't tell her, how's she gonna know?!"

"I don't think she likes me" Sam said in a small voice.

"You won't know unless you ask right?" Don said, seriously "You gotta take the knock backs on the chin, 'cos one day it won't be a knock back"

"You ever get knocked back?" Sam asked.

"I have been" Don said.

"But with this girl?" Sam was quite deft at turning the conversation around.

"I haven't tried yet" Don said almost to himself, then shook his head "Anyway, what makes you think she doesn't like you, Hannah?"

"She's mean to me" Sam said with a trace of anger "But only sometimes"

"Ah" Don leaned back in his chair "Then she _does_ like you"

"You think?" Sam asked with hope.

Don nodded "Girls are weird right?" he leaned forward, confiding "They say stuff they don't mean, and do all kindsa stuff to put you off, when all along, they like you really"

"Then how do you ever know?" Sam looked confused "If they're mean when they like you, and mean when they don't?!"

"If you accept that you'll never understand that" he told Sam "Then you are half way there. But generally the meaner they are, the more they like you"

"That's just weird" Sam pulled a face.

"That's women" Don shrugged.

"I don't get it" Sam frowned.

"Me either" Don laughed.

…...


	3. Chapter 3

**Of Boy and Man**

Growing 

"What's up?" Don looked at Sam as he sulkily bounced the ball, he'd not really been into this game.

Sam shrugged, in a way that Don was learning was teenager speak for 'I don't really wanna say because I feel stupid'.

"Ok, so shoot the hoop" Don encouraged, hunkering down getting ready to block the shot, which was getting harder as Sam was getting taller.

"I hate him!" Sam suddenly said, letting the ball bounce away.

"Who?" Don stood up, hands resting lightly on his hips.

"_Craig_" Sam replied with a defiant look.

Although Don knew that Sam's mother was dating, he also knew that Sam needed to tell him this by himself, that he would clam up if he thought Don and his mother had been talking about him behind his back.

"Who's Craig?" Don asked.

"My mom's new date" Sam kicked at the court surface savagely "And he's an ass"

Don hid a smile, feeling he should scold the boy "That's not the kinda language I expect from you Sam" he said.

"Well he is!" Sam persisted "I _hate_ him"

"I know it's tough" Don said "But your mom deserves to be happy too"

"I know she does" the savage kicking continued "Just not with _him_. Nicky hates him too"

"Why?" he probed "Do you have a reason?"

"He smells funny" Sam said "And he's like, always trying to be friends"

"Maybe he's tryin' to be nice?" Don offered "So you'll like him?"

"Well I won't!" Sam suddenly looked at Don fiercely "He's not my dad and I won't let him try and make us forget!"

"I don't think anyone is trying to replace your dad" Don said gently "No one ever could. Your mom won't let that happen, she deserves some happiness Sam, but she won't forget your dad, ever"

Sam gave him a speculative look "Couldn't _you_ date her?"

Don laughed self consciously "It doesn't work like that"

"Well it should" he said, warming to his theme "She likes you, I know she does and you like her, I mean she's pretty right? Me and Nicky like you, it's perfect!"

"While your mom and I get on" Don tried to find a way to explain this to someone who was essentially, a child still "To date someone, you have to like them in a _different_ way"

"I know about sex" Sam told him straight "And me and Nicky, we talked about it, we'd be cool with it"

Don nearly choked at the last sentence "You shouldn't be talkin' about stuff like that!" he said.

"Why?" Sam challenged "It's what you do when you date someone"

"It's what you do when you love someone" Don said, praying with his past, God wouldn't strike him dead where he stood for such hypocrisy.

"Please?" he begged "It'd be so cool"

"I got a girlfriend Sam" Don said quietly.

"You do?" The child looked shocked "You never said, do you love her?"

For a moment, Don didn't answer, truth was he didn't really know himself "I think so" he hedged.

"Do you have sex with her?" Sam pushed his luck.

"That's not a question I'm going to answer" Don replied, walking over to pick up the ball.

"I don't want my mom having sex with _him_" Sam fumed, his fists balled.

"Look Sam" Don laid a hand on his shoulder "Trust me on this, your mom will never let any guy replace your dad, he'll never be forgotten"

"How do you know though?!"

"Because" he took a deep breath "Someone I loved died, and I missed her, for a long time, but now, I can move on and love someone else, but I'll never forget"

Sam gave him a long look, not saying anything.

"Give the guy a chance?" Don asked "He likes your mom, and she likes him, just give it a chance?"

"Maybe" Sam shrugged.

The conversation had taken the wind out of Don a bit, he needed a change of subject "You hungry?"

"Yeah" he replied, looking slightly brighter.

"Burger or pizza?" Don grinned.

"Pizza" Sam decided, following Don away from the court.

"I wanna meet her" Sam said suddenly, and then remembered his manners "I mean, can I? Can I meet your girlfriend?"

Don ruffled the kids hair, in a way both had become accustomed to over the years.

"I'll see what I can do" he promised "Say!" Don stopped, looking at Sam "You're not gonna steal her off me are you?"

Sam laughed "I might if she's pretty"

…...


	4. Chapter 4

**Of Boy and Man**

Healing

_I see this a few weeks after the actual episode._

"So you enjoy your stay with your grandparents?" Don asked as he navigated them both across the road towards Sam's apartment block.

"Not really" the boy screwed up his face "I missed the Rangers game"

Don laughed "It was good" he said "I might be able to get hold of a tape"

"Tape?" Sam frowned.

Don sighed, he kept forgetting that kids lived in a whole new era of technology, he still had trouble working the DVD player "A recording"

"Oh right" Sam said "That'd be cool, thanks"

"So you do anything down there? Isn't it near the beach?"

"Not really" Sam said as they entered the building "There's not even a court, and Grandma is _real_ fussy about her carpets"

"Her carpets huh?" Don smiled "Mine was fussy about her sofa, I wasn't allowed to sit on it until she'd checked my pants were clean"

Sam laughed "Really?"

"Really" Don replied with a wry grin "I had to sit on the floor often"

"You know" Sam stopped and looked at him "You're about the coolest adult I know"

"Thanks!" Don felt ridiculously pleased at the comment "And you're about the coolest kid _I_ know"

Don waited as he always did, to exchange a few words with Sam's mother, Maddie as Sam went into the apartment.

"Hi Don!" she said wiping her hands on a tea towel.

"Hi" Don smiled at her, he deeply admired this woman, for somehow keeping herself and her sons afloat "How's Nicky doin'?"

"He's great" she smiled.

"I'm gonna teach you _both_ how to shoot a decent hoop!" Don heard Nicky's voice from within.

"That so?!" Don smiled "I'll hold you to that!"

"I been watchin' you through the window" Nicky called back "You both _suck_"

"Come on now Nicky!" Maddie said "You and your brother wash up for dinner!"

She stepped out onto the hallway, pulling the door to "I wanna say thank you" she said shyly "For, well for being Sam's friend I guess, someone to look up to"

Don shrugged self consciously "No problem" he mumbled.

"But you must be busy" Maddie continued "And for you to take time out like this, it means a lot to him, and me"

Don made eye contact with her "He's a good kid" he told her "They both are"

"I know" she smiled back "Thank you"

"Well I better be going" he said "Duty calls"

She smiled back "Of course"

"Could you tell Sam I'll call him?" he asked "Maybe Nicky can come next time too, if he's well enough?"

"He'd like that" Maddie said, as he turned away "Detective?" she stopped him.

"Yeah?" he looked back.

"One day" she said with a smile "Some kids gonna be really lucky to have you as a father"

He smiled his thanks at her before he left. Trying to hide the choking feeling he felt at her words. He wondered _if_ he'd ever get that chance. The only woman he's ever have considered it with wasn't here any more, and the pain from that still tore him up. But somehow, seeing this woman carrying on, seeing those kids carrying on, spending time with Sam, it helped.


End file.
